Rotary valve assembly for engines and other applications

Abstract

A rotary valve assembly includes a housing for positioning on an engine of the piston and cylinder type. The housing includes an intake passage for conducting a working fluid to the cylinder and an exhaust passage for conducting the working fluid from the cylinder. The housing has an internal cavity which intercepts the intake and exhaust passages, which cavity contains a rotary valve member having a window. The window is so positioned that when the member is rotated, it opens and closes the intake and exhaust passages in a periodic manner. The valve assembly may also include a throttle member mounted in the housing parallel to the rotary valve member. The throttle member has a hole which may be positioned opposite the intake passage. The throttle member is movable relative to the axis of the rotary valve member between a first position which places the hole in the throttle means opposite a first portion of the valve member and a second position which places that hole opposite a second portion of the valve member so that when the valve member is rotated, the open time of the intake passage can be controlled by the position of the throttle member. In some applications, the rotary valve member itself can function as the throttle member. A plurality of similar valve assemblies can be positioned adjacent to one another and concatenated so that they all operate in unison to control the working fluid flow to and from all the cylinders of a multi-cylinder engine. The assembly is particularly suitable for converting an internal combustion engine so that it operates under steam power. Other applications for the assembly are also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A rotary valve assembly comprising a block defining a concave valve seat having cylindrical curvature about an axis, said valve seat defining a sector of 180° or less;   means defining a passage extending through said block to said valve seat; a cylindrical valve member having a wall with an open window, the diameters of the valve seat and valve member being substantially the same;   means for rotatably mounting the valve member on said axis so that when the valve member is rotated about said axis, the valve member occludes said passage except when the window overlaps said passage, and   means for moving the valve member along said axis relative to said valve seat so as to control the amount of said overlap.     
     
     
       2. The valve assembly defined in claim 1 and further including means for rotating said valve member about said axis. 
     
     
       3. The valve assembly defined in claim 1 wherein the valve member is a tube. 
     
     
       4. The valve assembly defined in claim 1 wherein the width of said window varies along said axis. 
     
     
       5. The valve assembly defined in claim 1 wherein the width or shape of said passage directly opposite the valve member varies along said axis. 
     
     
       6. The valve assembly defined in claim 1 wherein the window lies within a selected sector of said valve member. 
     
     
       7. The valve member defined in claim 1 wherein the width of said window varies along said axis. 
     
     
       8. A rotary valve assembly comprising a housing having a plurality of walls including a first wall and a second wall;   a first port in said first wall and a second port in said second wall;   a block defining a concave valve seat in the housing at one of said first and second walls, said valve seat extending around one of said first and second ports and having cylindrical curvature about an axis and defining a sector of 180° or less;   a cylindrical valve member supported in said housing for rotation about said axis and in contact with said valve seat, said valve member having an open window therein so positioned in the valve member that when the valve member is rotated to a first angular position, the window overlaps said one of said first and second ports whereby a working fluid can flow between said ports through said window and when the valve member is rotated to a second angular position, the valve member occludes said one of said first and second ports so that the working fluid cannot flow between said ports, and   means for moving said valve member along said axis relative to said valve seat so as to adjust the amount of said overlap.   
     
     
       9. The valve assembly defined in claim 8 wherein the valve member has opposite ends supported by a pair of shafts rotatably mounted in the housing. 
     
     
       10. The valve assembly defined in claim 9 wherein the moving means comprise means for shifting one of said shafts along said axis, and   further including means for rotating the other of said shafts about said axis.   
     
     
       11. The valve assembly defined in claim 9 and further including a second valve assembly similar to the first-mentioned valve assembly, said second valve assembly being positioned adjacent to the first-mentioned assembly, and   means connecting the valve members of said first and second assemblies so that said valve members rotate in unison.   
     
     
       12. The valve assembly defined in claim 11 and further including means for rotating corresponding shafts of each assembly in unison so that the windows in the valve members of the assemblies are out of phase, and   means for introducing a working fluid through one port of each valve assembly.   
     
     
       13. The valve assembly defined in claim 11 wherein the valve members of the assemblies are tubes. 
     
     
       14. The valve assembly defined in claim 13 wherein the shape of each window varies along the corresponding valve member axis. 
     
     
       15. A rotary valve assembly comprising a housing having a concave interior wall with cylindrical curvature about an axis and defining a sector of 180° or less;   a plurality of ports in said wall spaced along said axis;   a cylindrical tubular valve member supported in said housing for rotation about said axis and in contact with said interior wall, said valve member having a corresponding plurality of windows so positioned along said axis that when the valve member is rotated, the windows periodically connect the interior of the valve member with different ports in the housing interior wall.   
     
     
       16. The valve assembly defined in claim 15 wherein the windows in the valve member are angularly offset from one another about said axis. 
     
     
       17. The valve member defined in claim 15 or 16 and further including moving means for moving the valve member along said axis within the housing. 
     
     
       18. The valve assembly defined in claim 15 and further including means for rotating said valve member. 
     
     
       19. The valve assembly defined in claim 18 wherein the rotating means include a first pulley rotatably mounted to one end of the valve member;   a rotatably mounted crank shaft pulley;   a belt stretched around the first pulley and the crank shaft pulley to form a closed loop having first and second stretches extending between said pulleys so that the two pulleys rotate in unison, and   means for deflecting either the first belt stretch or the second belt stretch laterally so as to change the phase angle of the first pulley relative to the crank shaft pulley.